Thank You to Our Amazing 117th Congress App Challenge Co-Chairs!
Washington, D.C. – The Congressional App Challenge Team is thrilled to express its heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Co-Chairs Jennifer Wexton and Young Kim for their unwavering support and dedication to the Congressional App Challenge during the 117th congress.
Representatives Young Kim and Jennifer Wexton have provided exemplary leadership and commitment to the future of STEM education and to the next generation of pioneers in computer science.
Since their appointment as Co-Chairs, the Congressional App Challenge has seen an increase in unique apps submitted from 1,851 submissions to 2,707 submissions, a 46% increase, and an increase in students registering for the challenge, from 6,000 registrations to 9,011, a 50% increase. Through their outreach and work with fellow representatives, Reps. Wexton and Kim have also brought the App Challenge to all 50 states and territories, including 27 newly participating districts.
Rep. Young Kim is a former member of the California State Assembly who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020. She has been a strong advocate for STEM education and has been actively involved in promoting technology and innovation in the country. She serves on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and is a proponent of STEM education for students of all backgrounds, holding that accelerating and strengthening education in STEM fields will provide a myriad of opportunities in students’ future professional careers. In an interview with Rep. Kim, she noted that the Congressional App Challenge “would give students coding skills and allow them to think about ways to use technology to improve our lives.” This is exemplified by a number of students developing apps that aim to tackle challenges at home, at school, in their community, or nationwide. We would like to especially thank Rep. Kim for hosting a Congressional App Challenge reception in December to honor California’s 39th congressional district’s winner, Hudson Kaleb Dy, and the other 191 entrants to last year’s App Challenge.
Rep. Jennifer Wexton is a Democratic politician and lawyer who serves as the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 10th congressional district since January 2019. Prior to her election to Congress, she served as a Virginia state senator and assistant commonwealth’s attorney. Representative Wexton has been a strong advocate for promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and encouraging students to pursue careers in these fields. By participating in the Congressional App Challenge, she helped inspire the next generation of technology leaders and entrepreneurs across the nation. In an interview, we asked Representative Wexton to tell us what she’s most excited about with her position as Co-Chair of the Congressional App Challenge, she told us “Not all parts of the country or my congressional district have the same opportunities, and the App Challenge is a way to involve everyone with interest in computer science.” We would like to thank Rep. Wexton for joining us on our podcast, Debugged, and sharing some aspects of her life as a U.S. Representative and as Co-Chair of the Congressional App Challenge.
In their capacities as co-chairs of the Congressional App Challenge, both Jennifer Wexton and Young Kim worked together to create opportunities for young people to develop their skills in technology and to help them achieve their goals. They played a key role in promoting the importance of technology education and in encouraging young people to pursue careers in the field. Their efforts made a significant impact on the lives of many young people, and they continue helping to create a brighter future for technology and innovation in the country.
The 2023 Congressional App Challenge will launch on June 15th, 2023. Students can enter their original apps through November 1st, 2023. The link to pre-register for this year’s App Challenge can be found here.